China Withholds Visas for NYT, Bloomberg Reporters

Chinese authorities have been withholding residence visas for reporters working for The New York Times and Bloomberg in apparent retaliation for the agencies' investigative stories on wealth accumulated by leaders' families.

The move marks an intensifying of pressure on foreign journalists by the Chinese government and threatens to effectively shut down the two organizations' newsgathering operations in the country.

The Foreign Correspondents Club of China said in an emailed statement to members Monday that none of the correspondents working for The Times and Bloomberg in China have been able to renew their residence visas this year. Neither organization immediately responded to requests for comment.

China's Foreign Ministry, which issues press credentials, and Beijing's Public Security Bureau, which grants residence permits, did not respond to faxed lists of questions.

Chinese authorities have been withholding residence visas for reporters working for The New York Times and Bloomberg in apparent retaliation for the agencies' investigative stories on wealth accumulated by leaders' families.The move marks an intensifying of pressure on...